Carpet sweepers

ABSTRACT

A carpet sweeper in which the brush sweeps over the whole width of the sweeper so that the sweeper can brush the carpet right up to the edge of the wall. The brush is driven by the supporting wheels on a crank mechanism so that increase of pressure on the operating handle gives greater driving force between the wheels and the brush. Also the brush is self-adjusting for height, the handle applying pressure to the brush. The wheels are attached to the dust trays and hence move with the dust trays hinged about the front and rear edges of the sweeper as the trays are opened and closed by a single operating member.

0 Umted States Patent 1 1 1111 3,744,077 Smyth July 10, 1973 CARPET SWEEPERS 2,634,443 4/1953 Pullen 15/41 R inventor: Donald Nation y South 3,629,892 12/1971 Smyth et al l5/48 Plympton, Australia FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS [73] Assignee: S. A. Brush Company Li i 0,784 8/1938 Great Bntam l5/4l R Albert s Austral Primary ExaminerEdward L. Roberts Filed July 7,19 Attorney-Albert H. ()ldham, Vern L. Oldham et al.

21 A I. No.: 160 422 l 1 pp 57 ABSTRACT A carpet sweeper in which the brush sweeps over the [22] (gl whole width of the Sweeper so that the Sweeper can 4148 AU brush the carpet right up to the edge of the wall. The le 0 are 4 C 79 5 brush is driven by the supporting wheels on a crank mechanism so that increase of pressure on the operating handle gives greater driving force between the [56] References cited wheels and the brush. Also the brush is self-adjusting UNITED STATES PATENTS for height, the handle applying pressure to the brush. 298,349 5/1884 Clarke 15/41 R The wheels are attached to the dust trays and hence 525,721 1894 move with the dust trays hinged about the front and l lszweltzer rear edges of the sweeper as the trays are opened and eyam 2,531,430 11/1950 Heftler by a Smgle peratmg member 2,631,312 3/1953 Pullen l5/4l R 9 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PATENTED Jul 1 0 I913 SHEET 2 BF 4 PAIENTED UHO 3.744.077 sum 3 or 4 I l I CARPET SWEEPERS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to improvements in and relating to carpet sweepers.

The usual construction of carpet sweepers is to have a body which is supplied with a handle by means of which it can be manipulated and to have on the base of the body four wheels which contact the carpet or the like and which drive a centrally located brush through suitable rollers when the carpet sweeper is moved over the carpet, trays being provided into which debris drawn from the carpet is swept and these trays can be opened from time to time to discharge the gathered materials.

It was customary to mount the wheels on the body itself but to have the removable brush which could be taken from the body for cleaning and then reinserted and to allow an effective drive to be obtained various methods have been used heretofore which ensure that the wheels of the carpet sweeper contact the rollers with the correct force during sweeping and as will be appreciated it is desirable for the forwardly moving wheels to effect the actual driving and for this purpose certain mountings have been proposed heretofore which give the wheels some degree of motion by allowing their axles to slide to ensure correct actuation.

Because it is necessary to be able to clean both the brushes and the sections of the container such as the trays which hold the material which is swept up it has been proposed according to an earlier invention of ours to mount the wheels on the trays which catch the debris swept by the brush and the advantage of this will be readily appreciated when it is realized that if the wheels move away with the trays as the trays are opened, particularly when the trays open about the forward and rear edges of the body, much better cleaning is possible because the brushes are fully exposed, can be readily removed and replaced, and generally the opening up is of a much more effective nature to permit the removal of threads or the like which might otherwise be difficult to remove from the brush or its environments.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION There are still however certain advantages which are desirable in such a unit and one of these is to so arrange the unit that it can sweep for the maximum possible width and it will be realized that if the brush can be so constructed that the sweeping is at least the full width of the body of the unit, then the sweeper will be able to pick up materials along the edge of the wall or the like along which the sweeper is moved, but in the past this has been impossible because of the fact that the wheels engaged the rollers which were formed on the outer portions of the brush and which of course were supported in outer parts of the frame of the sweeper.

An improved sweeper according to this invention therefore has as one of its objects the provision of a unit which will be able to sweep for substantially the full width of the unit, a further object being to provide a simple and effective method of hinging the trays and opening same for cleaning while further objects are an effective form of mounting of the wheels which allows a simpler and better action with an improved drive, still further objects being to so arrange a brush that the sweeping action from an area even outside of the trays will be into the trays to allow the maximum width of collection of material in relation to the body of the unit and even from outside of the actual edge of the body of the unit when this is desirable.

These and other objects will be apparent from the following description which is however not to be taken as limiting the invention but rather to be illustrative of the improved construction of the carpet sweeper.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an exploded isometric view of the carpet sweeper according to this invention,

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the underside of the body of the carpet sweeper, various portions being cut away for clarity,

FIG. 3 is a part sectional view of the brush mounted in the sweeper taken along the axis of the brush,

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the carpet sweeper taken along the plane of the crank axles,

FIG. 5 is a side view of the axle carrier viewed in the direction of the arrow A in FIG. 2, and

FIG. 6 is a side view of the axle carrier taken in the direction of the arrow B in FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The carpet sweeper consists of a body 1 of plastic material or other suitable material surrounded by a buffer 2. A cover 3 is fitted to the top of the body 1 and carries a control lever 4 to actuate the dust trays 5 by means to be later described. The sweeper is manipu lated by a handle 6 having attachment members 7 to engage the sweeper as later described.

Each of the trays 5 is preferably of plastic material and has a portion 8 which is adapted to be clipped to the surface 9 of the body 1 by clips 10 being inserted in apertures 1 1 in the body 1. The trays 5 and their portions 8 are formed as an integral piece of material preferably of plastic, the tray 5 being hinged to the portion 8 by a hinge line 12 which is provided for by a portion of the material along this line 12 being of thinner section than the remainder of the material, thus forming a flexible hinge.

The body on its underside is formed with partition walls 13 and 14 which divide the body in a fore and aft direction and the space between each pair of walls 13 and 14- provide recesses in which the wheels 15 are located and in which are provided the means for locating and retaining the brush 16.

The brush 16 comprises a center brush board 17 and two end brush boards 18, the end brush boards 18 being separated from the center brush board 17 by a roller 19 fixedly attached to the brush board 17 and an axle 20, a tire 21 being fitted to each roller whereby the brush'is driven by frictional contact with the wheels 15. The brush preferably contains a plurality of rows of helically arranged tufts of bristles 22 with the tufts 22 at each end of the center board 17 being arranged and located to extend outwardly and axially of the brush so that the outer ends of these bristles are located under the tire 21. To facilitate this, the ends of the center board are suitably shaped and the holes containing the tufts are correspondingly formed at the appropriate angle.

The end brush boards 18 are shaped in a curved manner so that the tufts of bristles 22 adjacent the axle 20 and rollers 19 extend also toward the area radially outwardly of the roller 19 while the tufts at the outer ends of the end boards 18 extend outwardly past the ends of the brush l6 and the brush 16 is so located in the body 1 that the bristles sweeper to and slightly past the ends of the body 1.

Each of the dust trays have partition walls 23 and 24 to divide the trays into three compartments 25 to collect the swept debris, and recesses 26 in which the wheels are free to revolve, while the inner edges of each of the trays 5 are provided with a comb 27 to clean the brush and collect debris therefrom. Each of the wheels 15 are pivotally mounted on the trays adjacent the inner edges thereof by a cranked member. Each cranked member consists of a female axle crank 28 and a male axle crank 29, with each of the cranks being provided with a pivot 30 adapted to be snap fitted into a slot 31 on the trays 5. A sleeve on the female crank 28 fits into the boss 33 of the wheels 15 to form the axle of the wheel, while the male axle crank 29 has a pin 34 which fits into the sleeve of the female crank.

In this way the wheels are free to rotate on the axle cranks and the axle cranks are also pivotable on the trays 5 and it will be seen by reference to FIG. 4 that due to the positioning of the axle cranks, wheels and brush, that downward pressure on the sweeper will cause the axle cranks to pivot to bring the wheels into contact with the tires 21 on the brush so that the frictional driving force is proportional to the downward force applied by the handle.

As noted earlier, each of the trays 5 is pivoted along the hinge line 12 and that the trays 5 are opened and closed by the operation of a control lever 4. The control lever operates a cam 40 which has a pair of U shaped camming surfaces 41 at each end thereof, each of which is adapted to slidably engage a pull wire member 42. Each pull wire member 42 is basically of U shape'with the base 43 of the U extending across the width of the center section of the sweeper with the arms 44 of each member being bent out of the plane of the member intermediate their length. The inner portion of the arms are guided by guides 46 on the body 1 for sliding movement so that the pull wire member 42 slides substantially along the body 1. The outer ends of the arms 44 are pivotally attached to the partition walls of the dust trays 5 so that with the camming surfaces 41 in contact with the base 43 and held in contact therewith by a tension spring 45, partial rotation of the cam 40 will move and pull wire member 42 to slide along the guides with the curved portion 44a sliding onto the curved end portion of the body thus, as shown in FIG. 2, elevating the arm 44, and pivoting at the guides 46 and so open the dust trays 5, while partial rotation of the cam 40 in the opposite direction will close the dust trays 5, the portion 44a sliding on the end portion of the body and the along the underside of the top of the body the springs 45 returning the pull wire member 42 and the dust trays 5 to the closed position.

The handle 6 is attached by the members 7 to the carpet sweeper. An axle carrier 50 is mounted in the body 1 in each of the spaces between the walls 13 and 14. The carrier 50 has an upper rectangular framework 51 and a depending wall 52 which also has a part circular flange 53, the flange 53 being formed of two arcs on either side of a vertical line through the center of the carrier 50.

The carrier 50 has a vertical slot 54 in which is fitted a bearing block 55 having a downwardly opening slot 56 with a constricted opening so that the axle can be clipped into the slot 56 of the bearing block. The

bearing block 55 has an arcuately curved upper surface 57. On assembly the block 55 is fitted to the slot 54 and the handle attachment member 7 which has a recessed face 58 bounded by an arcuate surface wall 59 is fitted to each axle to carrier 50 so that the member 7 holds the bearing block in the slot 54. On operation the downward force on the handle causes surface 59 to bear on the upper surface 57 of the bearing block 55 thus causing the brush to be moved downwardly, which downward movement is dependent upon the surface being swept as will be seen by reference to FIG. 4. If a thick pile carpet is being swept the wheels will sink into the thick carpet as shown in FIG. 4 and the brush will be forced onto the carpet. If a thin carpet is being swept then thedownward force can move the brush further downwardly to increase the brushing action. As noted earlier, the downward force on the body of the sweeper will also force the supporting wheels into contact with the tires on the brush due to tendency of the wheels 15 to pivot with the axle cranks about the attachment of the cranks to the dust trays 5.

Hence it will be seen that there is provided a carpet sweeper in which the height of the brush is self adjusting depending upon the type of surface being swept and the force applied downwardly by the handle.

To retain the handle 6 in the sweeper, stops 60 are provided on the member 7 which are adapted to engage an annular stop 61 on the axle carrier to retain the handle in position whilst allowing swinging movement of the handle about the flange 53 and vertical movement of the handle with respect to the axle carrier.

Referring to FIG. 3 it will be seen that the divisions and cavities near each end of the body are specially shaped so that the tufts of the brush can be set at an angle in relation to a line at right angles to the axis of the brush, this angle being necessary so that while the base of each of the tufts of the brush are closer together along the line of the brush, their free ends must project outwardly so that they can extend beyond the actual areas where the wheels operate and on the outside beyond the areas at the edges of the brush, but it has been found that by appropriately shaping the cavities in which the brush is disposed that a proper sweeping action can take place so that while the brushes are wider than the actual cavity in which they operate, they can operate on the wider angle when they are out of the cavity and in contact with the carpet but will then be moved inwardly and sweep inwardly to deposit materials within the two outer parts of the tray sections. Similarly the inner part of the brush has its end tufts angularly disposed so that they project as it were over the rollers which drive the brush, but the edges of the channels or members in which they operate are so shaped that the bristles are cleared away from the rollers at the critical contact point with the driving wheels and again therefore, although there is a gap in the actual brush with the rollers which drive the brush are located which is in line with the wheels of the brush, the effective operation of the brush extends right across these areas and sweeps into the trays adjacent to those areas so that there is no unswept area at these localities.

Thus the brush is confined in the housing by a portion of the brushes inward of the driving rollers is engaged by the bearing blocks which as previously mentioned are in contact with the handle so that when the handle is pushed downwardly the brush is similarly pushed downwardly by contact with these members and a much better sweeping action in the right direction results.

The bearing blocks themselves are guided and are sufficiently loosely fitted to allow the movement to take place by means of which the loading of the brush can be effected and it will thus be realized that when the end is pushed forwardly with the sweeping action the pressure on the handle and these control members will tend to push the brush into contact with the carpet but on a rearward pull being applied to the handle the pressure would be released and these control members or hearing blocks will move back and allow the brush to rise somewhat within the housing and thus exert a lesser force on the carpet.

The mounting of the wheels is preferably carried out as described by mounting the axles of the wheels on cranks which extend outwardly towards the rim of the wheel and engage in sockets in the tray so that the wheels can swing about the axis of the sockets in such a manner that when a wheel is moving forwardly as the unit is being pushed by the handle the cranks tend to force the wheel into contact with the driving rollers on the brushes because the wheels are free to swing forward and backwardly by being mounted on these cranks, but the angle of the cranks is such that the weight exerted on the wheels forces the wheels towards the central position and into contact with the centrally located brush.

If all four wheels are mounted in this way a simple and effective arrangement is which means that the wheels are free to swing towards or away from the brush rollers in an unrestricted manner and the only force applied to them therefore results when they contact the ground or carpet, which force tends to bring them into contact with the driving members on the brush but as the units are pushed by the handle the wheels which are foremost in the movement will tend to push harder against the driving rollers of the brush whereas the trailing wheels because of their free mounting will tend to move away and thus a very free drive for the brush will result from the wheels which are at the time the forward moving wheels of the unit.

On the return movement of the sweeper, the downward force on the brush from the handle is reduced, and the brush, by being freely movable vertically in the body will self-adjust and actually move vertically upwardly slightly, so that a free sweeping action of the brush and rolling action of the wheels results.

It is particularly noted that the brush has free vertical movement in the body, and that no springs or other devices are used to interconnect the body and brush whereby downward force on the body is transmitted to the brush, but as described earlier the handle applies pressure directly to the brush and not the body. By virtue of the free vertical movement of the brush at each side of the sweeper, the brush when sweeping right to the walls of the room readily adjusts to the worn and unworn areas of the carpet adjacent the walls of the room.

The sweeping action of the brush so that whole area under the sweeper is swept, is achieved, as noted earof the tufts into the cavities of lesser width than the area being swept, the tufts flick the debris into the cavities in the dust trays.

I claim:

l. A carpet sweeper having a body, a rotatable brush mounted in the body and adapted to sweep debris into trays pivotally attached to the body, supporting wheels mounted on the trays to be moved therewith during opening and closing of the trays, the wheels in the closed position of the trays adapted to frictionally engage driving surfaces on the brush to drive the same, characterized in that the wheels are pivoted by crank arms'to the trays such that downward force on the body by an operating handle causes the wheels to move to the brush to drivingly engage the same with a force proportional to the downward force on the body.

2. A carpet sweeper as defined in claim 1 characterized in that the trays are pivoted along one edge to the body along the forward and rearward edges of the body, and the crank arms are pivoted to the trays adjacent the opposite edges thereof, the crank in operative position sloping upwards and away from the driving surface to a point such that downward force on the body causes the wheel and crank to pivot about the pivot point of the crank to the tray to bring the wheel into contact with the driving surface of the brush whereby the contact force is proportional to the downward force on the body.

3. A carpet sweeper comprising a body, wheelssupporting the body and to drive a rotatable brush to sweep debris into trays pivotally attached to the body along the front and rear edges of the body, and means to open and close the trays about the pivotal attachment, characterized in that the means comprise a rotatable cam centrally located on the body and having two camming surfaces each adapted to engage a member, each of which is connected to a respective one of the trays adjacent the pivotal attachment of the tray to the body, whereby upon actuation of the cam the members are guided for translatory movement to move the trays to the open and closed position.

4. A carpet sweeper according to claim 3 further characterized in that each of the members comprises a substantially U shaped metal member with the arms of the U intermediate of their length being bent out of the U, these outer ends of the arms being attached to the trays.

5. A carpet sweeper according to claim 3 characterized in that the cam is of elongated shape with a camming surface at each end thereof adapted to slidably engage a straight portion of one of the members, spring means being provided between each of the members and the cam to retain the members in contact therewith and return the members and the trays to their closed position on the desired movement of the cam.

6. A carpet sweeper having a body, a rotatable brush mounted in the body and adapted to sweep debris into trays pivotally attached to the body along the front and rear edges of the body, supporting wheels mounted on the trays to be moved therewith during opening and closing movement of the trays, the wheels in the closed position of the trays being adapted to frictionally engage driving surfaces on the brush to drive the same, and handle means on the body whereby the carpet sweeper may be actuated, characterized in that the wheels are pivoted by crank arms to the trays, the brush is supported in bearing blocks slidably mounted in axle support carriers fixed to the body, the handle means bearing on the bearing blocks such that downward pressure on the handle applies downward pressure on the brush, and also applies pressure on the body of the carpet sweeper such that the crank arms and wheels pivot about the pivotal connection of the crank arms to the tray to cause the wheels to move into frictional driving contact with the brush dependent upon the downward force applied to the handle.

7. A carpet sweeper having a body, supporting wheels to support the body, a brush rotatably mounted in the body and adapted to sweep debris into trays hingedly mounted on the body, characterized in that the body includes two fore and aft extending cavities formed by walls spaced inwardly of the sides of the body and in which a pair of supporting wheels operate, the means for driving the brush including a tire rotationally fixed to the brush inwardly of the ends thereof and adapted to engage a pair of the supporting wheels, bristles on the brush between the tires and on the ends of the brush outwardly of the tires, the bristles being so shaped and spaced on the brush that they sweep under the tires and beyond the ends of the brush, the trays being divided by partitions planar with the walls on the body forming the cavities to form dust compartments separated by recesses for the wheels so that the free ends of the bristles project to the areas being swept beneath the tires on the brush and by being constricted by the walls and partitions as the brush revolves effectively sweep the debris into the compartments of the trays.

8. A carpet sweeper having a body, supporting wheels to support the body and to drive a brush rotatably mounted in the body, the brush being adapted to sweep debris into dust trays pivotally attached to the body, the brush being mounted in at least two spaced axle carriers by means which are free to move vertically in the body whereby the vertical position of the brush is self adjusting depending on the surface being swept, each axle carrier being attached to the body and said means comprise a bearing block slidably mounted in each axle carrier to slide in a vertical direction within limits, the bearing block being provided with a bearing surface at the base of a slot with a constricted opening, whereby the axle of the brush may be clipped through the constricted opening to engage the bearing surface.

9. A carpet sweeper according to claim 8 characterized in that the handle is formed to engage the bearing block and be pivotable thereon, the bearing block being formed with an arcuate upper surface and the lower end of the handle having formed thereon a cooperating arcuate surface to engage with the bearing block and a further co-operating surface on the axle carrier to be pivotable thereon, the handle having stop means to engage co-operating stop means on the axle carrier to locate the handle on the axle carrier. 

1. A carpet sweeper having a body, a rotatable brush mounted in the body and adapted to sweep debris into trays pivotally attached to the body, supporting wheels mounted on the trays to be moved therewith during opening and closing of the trays, the wheels in the closed position of the trays adapted to frictionally engage driving surfaces on the brush to drive the same, characterized in that the wheels are pivoted by crank arms to the trays such that downward force on the body by an operating handle causes the wheels to move to the brush to drivingly engage the same with a force proportional to the downward force on the body.
 2. A carpet sweeper as defined in claim 1 characterized in that the trays are pivoted along one edge to the body along the forward and rearward edges of the body, and the crank arms are pivoted to the trays adjacent the opposite edges thereof, the crank in operative position sloping upwards and away from the driving surface to a point such that downward force on the body causes the wheel and crank to pivot about the pivot point of the crank to the tray to bring the wheel into contact with the driving surface of the brush whereby the contact force is proportional to the downward force on the body.
 3. A carpet sweeper comprising a body, wheels supporting the body and to drive a rotatable brush to sweep debris into trays pivotally aTtached to the body along the front and rear edges of the body, and means to open and close the trays about the pivotal attachment, characterized in that the means comprise a rotatable cam centrally located on the body and having two camming surfaces each adapted to engage a member, each of which is connected to a respective one of the trays adjacent the pivotal attachment of the tray to the body, whereby upon actuation of the cam the members are guided for translatory movement to move the trays to the open and closed position.
 4. A carpet sweeper according to claim 3 further characterized in that each of the members comprises a substantially U shaped metal member with the arms of the U intermediate of their length being bent out of the U, these outer ends of the arms being attached to the trays.
 5. A carpet sweeper according to claim 3 characterized in that the cam is of elongated shape with a camming surface at each end thereof adapted to slidably engage a straight portion of one of the members, spring means being provided between each of the members and the cam to retain the members in contact therewith and return the members and the trays to their closed position on the desired movement of the cam.
 6. A carpet sweeper having a body, a rotatable brush mounted in the body and adapted to sweep debris into trays pivotally attached to the body along the front and rear edges of the body, supporting wheels mounted on the trays to be moved therewith during opening and closing movement of the trays, the wheels in the closed position of the trays being adapted to frictionally engage driving surfaces on the brush to drive the same, and handle means on the body whereby the carpet sweeper may be actuated, characterized in that the wheels are pivoted by crank arms to the trays, the brush is supported in bearing blocks slidably mounted in axle support carriers fixed to the body, the handle means bearing on the bearing blocks such that downward pressure on the handle applies downward pressure on the brush, and also applies pressure on the body of the carpet sweeper such that the crank arms and wheels pivot about the pivotal connection of the crank arms to the tray to cause the wheels to move into frictional driving contact with the brush dependent upon the downward force applied to the handle.
 7. A carpet sweeper having a body, supporting wheels to support the body, a brush rotatably mounted in the body and adapted to sweep debris into trays hingedly mounted on the body, characterized in that the body includes two fore and aft extending cavities formed by walls spaced inwardly of the sides of the body and in which a pair of supporting wheels operate, the means for driving the brush including a tire rotationally fixed to the brush inwardly of the ends thereof and adapted to engage a pair of the supporting wheels, bristles on the brush between the tires and on the ends of the brush outwardly of the tires, the bristles being so shaped and spaced on the brush that they sweep under the tires and beyond the ends of the brush, the trays being divided by partitions planar with the walls on the body forming the cavities to form dust compartments separated by recesses for the wheels so that the free ends of the bristles project to the areas being swept beneath the tires on the brush and by being constricted by the walls and partitions as the brush revolves effectively sweep the debris into the compartments of the trays.
 8. A carpet sweeper having a body, supporting wheels to support the body and to drive a brush rotatably mounted in the body, the brush being adapted to sweep debris into dust trays pivotally attached to the body, the brush being mounted in at least two spaced axle carriers by means which are free to move vertically in the body whereby the vertical position of the brush is self adjusting depending on the surface being swept, each axle carrier being attached to the body and said means comprise a bearing block slidably mounted in each axle carrier to slide in a vErtical direction within limits, the bearing block being provided with a bearing surface at the base of a slot with a constricted opening, whereby the axle of the brush may be clipped through the constricted opening to engage the bearing surface.
 9. A carpet sweeper according to claim 8 characterized in that the handle is formed to engage the bearing block and be pivotable thereon, the bearing block being formed with an arcuate upper surface and the lower end of the handle having formed thereon a co-operating arcuate surface to engage with the bearing block and a further co-operating surface on the axle carrier to be pivotable thereon, the handle having stop means to engage co-operating stop means on the axle carrier to locate the handle on the axle carrier. 